A thousand kilometres away from the magic that happened a couple of years ago, i sit back trying to catch on to those moments which seem to be drifting away as time starts the decimation... i try to recreate the moments from the first day but the heart does not want to end the story sayin goodbye again... so i traverse the journey in rewind, ending where it all started, the moment i entered these gates, making the first imprint as a MICAn, signing in the student register for the first time...
the myriad of colors engulf me as various adjectives and verbs fly through my head like a movie reel as i lie down on the football field looking at the huge tree and the setting sun behind it... i see pinku sittin in a corner and pubby walkin across as ashish points his camera, trying to freeze time thru his lens... the leaves move as the breeze fills them up... i see formations of birds emerging from trees flying away across the dimming light to i dont know where, but together... its like nature was gently reminding me of the life beyond... saloni, mansi, aron and geet walk past to the treasure chest and i remember the morning that started this day... the purple attempt at football in the cricket field... and the morning tea after the perfect night wen we partied in amaltas for that one more time... i cud hear resounding sounds as I watched in admiration wat the chopra of amaltas had created... i admire it cos u did wat no one else even tried... never thought a post grad hostel cud be similar to the boarding school ones... n i wondered if we cud have done the same with MICA... but i guess its perfection lies in this imperfection...
i slept in palaash 26 again, trying to imagine sinha on the other bed and all those who walked tht door, right from the wake up shouts to the paap nights... i glanced at the power corridor etched on the wall and opened the door of 25 to see if GB was still sleeping there... i look at the disputed washroom and the alternate route to parijat... i look down at ground zero and i look at palaash 3... i look at the knotty boys HQ and walk to the corner of someplace else imagining shot glasses and a huge container of the magic potion as palaash celebrated the brotherhood there... i hear voices announcing birthdays to palaash... i try to hear symmetric sounds from 16 as the clock strikes 8.30... ashvin doesn’t wake up here anymore i realise, but he remains my original music man... i remember the times we used to borrow his speakers for the movies in SH during orientation...i walk past the baddy court and see the courtyard of parijat... i see the door of 9 and the window of 14 and then the music room... remembering the mallu vs maadu baddy matches, i walk past the mess and realise that our concept of time wud not be defined by the mess timings anymore... Sundays wud have more significance than butter chicken as weekends start making sense... i take a run to sh3 from the mess lawn and behind champa as im late for class... i reach the doors to find them locked forever... i walk back trying to touch every corner of this place trying to feel complete and one with it... i walk down the road and remember the jogs... i see the director’s bungalow and remember pat’s cognac... i thank kishore bhai for tolerating and taking care of our “high” lifestyles...
i see twinky and remember the drunkenness and the hug in diu... i see apurv and remember the godliness of bhang... i spot mehta and i know il look forward to yo mamasita and pfc... i see vipul and recall our movie dates... i enter chinar and i see art come to life... i remember my first roll as the experts looked on... i remember the gorgeous courtyard and terrace in the endless parties... i remember the smiling faces as we greeted each other every single day, every time we met... i remember the genuineness of geet’s smile... i enter my room and see saloni’s room opposite on the top... i see the purple, i see the blue, i hear the sound of music as i take the deepest breath of satisfaction.. its magic, all over again...
ending again where it all started, i get down at the gates, i sign in as a MICAn in the student register... i always will... thank u breed... i bow to thy force...
